Divergent Paths
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: AU. What if he hadn't fallen into a coma, but merely unconscious for a slight moment which allowed his soul to split into two persona? A world where both he and his own darkness personified trod different paths...to the same endpoint.
1. Twos and Trailmons

**A/N:** Written for the Novel with Prompts Challenge, in which each chapter will get a separate prompt. This chapter's prompt is #006 – observant.

* * *

><p><strong>Divergent Paths<br>Chapter 1 – Twos and Trailmons**

Koichi watched the tracks fade into a blur and let his eyes slip closed with a sigh. His head was throbbing, though why was beyond him. Maybe he hadn't been getting enough sleep, staring up at the ceiling after slipping into his futon, just thinking about…everything.

At least the sound of wheels on the track was enough to distract him.

'So…what's your name?'

And his company, sitting on the seats opposite.

He opened his eyes to look at the other boy. Not someone he'd ever seen before – but so many hours from home, that was to be expected.

'Koichi,' he said. 'Koichi Kimura. And yours?'

'Takuya Kanbara.' He grinned. 'So, uh…' His voice trailed of a little. 'You here because of the phone thingy?'

'Phone..?' Koichi repeated, before shaking his head. It aggravated the headache, and he winced in regret. 'No, I f – came with someone.'

Takuya might have noted the stutter, but he definitely noticed the wince. 'Are you okay? Did you hit my head anywhere?'

Not that he remembered, and he was sure he'd remember doing something like that. He hadn't even passed under any low ceiling recently that could have tapped his head on with less notice. 'I'm fine. It's just a bit of a headache.'

'Oh, okay.' Takuya paused, then lowered his voice. 'Am I talking too loud? Or too much? Mum says it bugs her when she's got a migraine…'

Koichi began to reply to that, to say that he wasn't a bother at all because it was nice to have some to talk to on a train (or bus for that matter) ride. There were few people who'd start talking to a stranger after all. And rides, especially in otherwise empty carriages or vehicles, could become quite uncomfortable and lonely without them.

He didn't even get the first sound out before the train lurched though. His hand shot out for something to grab on, his fingers curling around the edge of the row of seats just in time. Takuya seemed to have tried to do the same, but he missed and tumbled off and on to the floor.

Koichi made to get up, but had to sit down when the train lurched again and everything went black.

'What the hell?' He heard Takuya's voice, in the dark, over the suddenly louder screeching of wheels on tracks. 'Hey! What's going on?'

Koichi, even if he wasn't frozen in his position of clutching the edge of the chair in the dark, couldn't answer that. He had no idea himself. But the train seemed to be going faster, and the sounds – was the train going out of control?

If only they could see out the windows, that might give them a clue as to what was going on. But in the darkness, all they could do was guess. Guess whether it was nothing, or their doom.

And then, suddenly, there was a flash of bright light and Koichi blinked reflexively, then more as his eyes watered and his vision blurred. The blinking helped. So did lying still, because he could feel a thread of bile creeping up his throat as well. But it stopped, and swallowing made that taste go away as well. He was glad for that. He wasn't particularly fond of throwing up, and trains were a horrible place to do so anyway. But that was just a tiny feeling and gone soon enough. The flash of light had twinged his headache a little as well, but it wasn't intolerable.

Things slowly came back into focus: Takuya climbing to his feet and picking something off the ground, strange blobby things approaching the train Koichi couldn't quite make out still…

Then one plastered itself to the window like jellyfish, and Koichi made a sound that was half a laugh and half a gasp of surprise, causing Takuya to turn around and look as well.

'Eek!' Having not seen them come, he was far more startled. Then he chuckled. 'Aww, they're just like jellyfish.'

Koichi laughed as well. 'They really were.'

'Hey, you sure you're okay?' Takuya was suddenly crouching down in front of him. 'You look paler.'

'I'm fine,' he said, then at the disbelieving look added: 'Really. It was just that flash of light.'

'Yeah, that one was a doozy,' Takuya agreed. 'Where did it – woah!' He tumbled to the floor again as the train screeched to a halt.

'Woah yourself,' a voice coming from near the head of the train replied. 'You're pretty loud for a passenger, you know.'

Takuya said something in reply, but Koichi didn't hear it. He was thinking how odd a statement that was. "For a passenger" – as though it was someone who was always on the train, or not as a passenger.

The driver then?'

'Now, are you two getting off or – oh no, I'm off duty for the evening.'

Takuya and Koichi exchanged glances, then the former shrugged and hopped out of the now open door. Koichi just stuck his head outside – but both of them had a clear view of the train's mouth – or what looked like its mouth anyway – moving in time with those last words.

And to one side was an angel in blue toga and with a golden rod, replying. 'But Lady Ophanimon believes one of those children is the warrior of flame. You must take him to Flame Terminal.'

'Can't that wait until tomorrow?' The mouth yawned, creating a ripple effect that made the carriages lurch again, and Koichi lost his grip on the handle and fell on to the platform.

He lay there for a moment, stunned. Then something soft, like a pillow, crashed into his back and something warm, like soaking in a bubble bath, spread through his body.

He got to his knees, then his feet, and checked himself. The headache had completely vanished, and somehow he'd come away without any bumps or scratches from the tumble. None he could see anyway. Some bumps did take a while to show.

'Pu pu pu!' someone cried, and then something crashed into Koichi's chest this time: something small and pink and with wings. 'Pu pu!'

'MarineAngemon!' the blue clad angel cried, flying over. 'Please be more careful –'

'Pu!' MarineAngemon replied, nuzzling into Koichi's shirt.

The blue-clad angel looked at Koichi. 'I guess he…doesn't want to go?' he suggested, feeling awkward under the stare.

'You don't look like the child of flame,' the angel said, instead of a reply. 'You haven't got the same fire inside of you.'

Koichi blinked, uncomprehending.

The angel flew a little closer, then frowned. 'I understand now,' he said, quietly, almost to himself. 'Stay close to the other warriors. Do not wander anywhere on your own.'

Koichi blinked again. 'Okay.' He wasn't quite sure if he meant it as an agreement or a question. A bit of both, he supposed.

'Pu Pu!' the little pink form on his chest, added.

The angel blinked. 'You have no offensive attacks. You'll be entirely dependent on the warriors.'

'Pu pu pu!' MarineAngemon protested – or argued. It was hard to tell when neither Koichi nor Takuya could understand a word.

'You have a valid point,' the angel agreed. Apparently he _did_ understand. He thought for a moment longer, then nodded to himself, straightening. 'Will the two of you take him with you? He may not have any offensive powers, but his healing prowess will be of great help to you.'

'Great help where?' Takuya asked. 'For that matter, where are we and who are you?'

Koichi didn't think he could have been so direct. Luckily, the angel didn't seem insulted. Just caught off guard. 'I am Angemon,' he introduced himself. 'I am a Digimon. That there,' He pointed at MarineAngemon, 'is MarineAngemon. And this – ' He gestured at the train. 'Is a Trailmon. This one is named Racoon Dog. We're at the Forest Terminal.'

'Digimon?' Koichi repeated.

'Aliens?' Takuya guessed.

'The natural inhabitants of this world,' Angemon explained. 'Like I believe you humans are in your world? I'm afraid I don't know much about the worlds outside this one.'

'Other worlds? Like a video game or something?' Takuya looked around: at the trees that stretched beyond their sight, and the tracks that wound their way through the wood. 'So did we get kidnapped and stuffed on those virtual machine thingies or is this some really detailed dream?'

'Pu!' MarineAngemon cried, knocking into Takuya's cheek.

'Ouch!' Takuya cried back. 'I almost bit my tongue – oh.' He blinked at that statement registered. 'I guess this is real then. But how did we get here? Is this part of that message?'

'The Trailmon brought you here,' Angemon replied. 'And Ophanimon called you here.'

_But I wasn't called here_. It was at the tip of Koichi's tongue, but he didn't say it.

'She called as many children as she could, but there were a few special ones whose help she needed,' Angemon continued. 'Help in order to save this world.'

'So we're signed up as heroes or something?' Takuya asked. At the nod of confirmation, he let out a low whistle. 'That sounds pretty cool. So we get to fight bad guys and things like that?'

'What you need to do is find the legendary spirits and keep them from the evil Cherubimon's clutches. Racoon Dog will take you to Flame Terminal where there is one – and, from there, the digivice will guide you.'

'I didn't agree to that,' the Trailmon muttered muttered. No-one heard him.

'Digivice?' Takuya repeated. MarineAngemon took something out his pocket and held it in front of the other's face. Takuya blinked at it. 'Oh, that thing.' He pressed a few buttons, but nothing happened.

Koichi's mind was on another matter though. 'You want us to _fight_? Against other…Digimon?'

Angemon shook his head. 'Ophanimon only asks you find the spirits before Cherubimon. If you children find them all and take them back with you, then they'll be out of his reach forever. But you may have to fight, if your paths cross with the enemy.'

Takuya opened his mouth – maybe to ask what the spirits were, which was the next question that came to Koichi's mind, but Angemon held up a hand. 'You need to hurry to Flame Terminal,' he said. 'It is the spirit of flame that rests there, and only you,' He looked at Takuya here, 'amongst the humans here can extract it from its resting place. You'll meet other humans at the Flame Terminal. Other spirits will respond to them. You too,' Here, he looked at Koichi, 'may find one that responds to you.' He opened his mouth, as if to say something more, but then he stiffened.

Racoon Dog twitched as well, his two carriages moving a little. 'Another Trailmon's coming,' he muttered. 'Sounds like Franken to me.'

'You'd best be going then,' Angemon said, before turning to the two boys. 'The gate to the human world is closed for now, and I'm afraid it'll be at least a week before Ophanimon is able to open it again. We can't ask you to put yourselves in danger for us, but _please_ –'

'Just get on board!' Racoon Dog yelled, starting his engines. 'I'll take you to Flame Terminal, but I really don't want to be run over by a fellow Trailmon.'

He was moving before he finished the sentence. Angemon picked the two boys up and threw them unceremoniously through the door. His final words followed them, along with MarineAngemon's small pink form.

'– help our world.'

'Pu pu pu,' MarineAngemon added gravely.

'This wasn't what I had in mind when I clicked yes,' Takuya commented, shaking his head at MarineAngemon. 'So not a dream or a virtual world, and we're supposed to go on a treasure hunt of sorts and maybe fight the bad guys if they show up? Have I got it?'

'I think so,' said Koichi, who was still having trouble grasping things. Angemon hadn't really explained what Digimon were – just that they were the world's natural inhabitants. Animals were inhabitants of their world as well, but there was no way two kids could stand up to a tiger for example. A fly on the other hand they could probably handle. 'Do you think you can fight?'

Takuya shrugged. 'Depends on how strong they are, I guess. But if we don't want to fight, we can just hide, right?' He leaned back on the seats. 'We're, like, missing the whole back story though. And I had a million other questions.' He paused. 'Hey, do you think it'll be dangerous? Like all those action movies with one guy up against a whole race of aliens or something like that?'

'Pu pu.' MarineAngemon nodded.

The two boys looked at it – he? She? – and then at each other.

'I'm not sure I'm ready for _that_ sort of heroship,' Takuya said.

Koichi was sure he wasn't either. He wasn't any sort of fighter.

Just what had they gotten themselves in to?


	2. Fire at Flame Terminal

**A/N:** Sorry for taking so long! I was busy with NaNo, but now that that's over with (though the fic unfortunately not), hopefully I can focus more on my other fics.

This chapter uses the prompt "allow".

* * *

><p><strong>Divergent Paths<br>Chapter 2 – Fire at Flame Terminal**

They passed the sign saying "Flame Terminal up ahead" all too soon. Too soon for the two humans, anyhow. Raccoon Dog was eager to drop his passengers off and get some rest – as his grumbling the whole way there illustrated.

Takuya and Koichi were still thinking about what they'd been told. How they – or Takuya at least – was supposed to pick up something called a "spirit" and protect it. How they might have to fight. But fight who? And how?

'Oh dear,' Raccoon Dog muttered.

Takuya poked his head out the window and whistled. 'What in the world is going on there?'

Koichi climbed on to the seat, trying to see as well. There was something red – or was it green? – shooting up in to the air: thinning, spreading…disappearing… MarineAngemon climbed up to his head. 'Is that an…explosion?' It didn't look like one, but he wasn't sure quite how else to describe it.

'That?' It sounded like the Trailmon snorted – but neither of them could really say they'd heard a train snort before, so they couldn't be too sure. But that odd noise certainly reminded them of a snort. 'That's just a warning attack. An explosion is much bigger than that, kids.'

Takuya leaned further out the window. Koichi drew back a little. The blast, before it fizzled out, had looked pretty big to him. And if that was what someone called a warning shot…

How in the world were they expected to fight _that_?

And it looked like they might, because Raccoon Dog was going in that exact direction and slowing down. 'Stop's coming up,' he announced. 'And my nap's next thing on the menu.' He muttered something after that too, but neither human made it out. If MarineAngemon did, he didn't share.

'Oh boy,' Takuya said. Koichi agreed with the sentiment. He'd rather the train went in the other direction…but there was something there that the angel – Angemon – had said they needed to protect.

Or rather, that Takuya needed to protect. He'd just told Koichi not to wander away from the others. Others being Takuya and MarineAngemon at that point in time, because it didn't seem like Raccoon Dog was planning on sticking around them.

Or keeping them around him rather, because even with his warning he stopped suddenly, wheels screeching no the tracks and doors opening with an ear-grating creek. 'Everybody off,' he said, a little too cheerfully.

They realised why when the seats moved, lifting them to the door and then tipping to toss them on to the platform.

MarineAngemon slid under his jacket and clung to his back – which was lucky or on purpose, because Koichi landed on his stomach. Takuya, on the other hand, landed on his back. And neither of those were particularly good places to land.

But the Trailmon was off, wheels screeching, before anyone could comment. Not that Koichi could comment. Landing on his stomach had knocked the wind out of him and he'd pulled himself up to his elbows and was catching it. Takuya had a comment though. Or several. And if Koichi had the breath, he might have laughed.

At least, until the second "warning shot" – and this time it was definitely green.

They stood up. Takuya winced a little. Koichi took a deep breath. MarineAngemon peeked out of Koichi's jacket.

'Let's go,' Takuya said suddenly. 'That's probably where whatever we're supposed to find is –and that green stuff is probably from the guy trying to take them.'

'But – ' Takuya was moving before Koichi could finish his sentence, and he hurried after the brunet. Sounds drew closer as they ran. Bangs and snarls. 'How can we –'

This time, Koichi cut off his own sentence. It suddenly didn't matter how they could fight against something spitting out green – laser beams? There was a kid there. A little kid, eight or nine or ten. Hanging on to a pipe and sort of cornered by a snarling dog – or what strongly resembled a human dog – except for the fact that it had three heads, the middle one bigger than the two on the sides. More likely, it was one of those digimon Angemon had been talking about. And it wasn't quite facing the boy, but it was still close enough and snarling enough to be a pretty big threat.

And there were two other humans too. Closer to their age. The girl holding a pipe like a bat, waving it and screaming something. At the dog to get away from the boy. Or at the boy to get way from the dog.

Somehow, they hadn't heard her over the snarls.

The other boy didn't have a weapon. He had that look on his face that clearly said he didn't want to be there. So did the girl actually. So did the cornered boy. And no doubt the two of them were sprouting the same expression too.

But none of them were backing away. Running away. Maybe it was the cornered kid that rooted them to the spot. Because they couldn't just run.

But when the dog fired another one of those green laser things that rebounded off what looked like a heater and went skyward, they realised Raccoon Dog had definitely been wrong and that wasn't a warning shot.

And seeing as the metal had melted a bit from that last shot, if a blast like that hit them, they'd be in pretty bad shape.

'Dammit.' Takuya gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. 'That's…one crazy dog.'

That was an understatement, but what else could they say? Or do?

The little boy caught sight of them. 'Help!' he wailed, loud enough to be heard over the snarls.

The dog looked their way too. But what could they do to help? Or defend themselves if the dog decided to blast at them.

MarineAngemon slipped down his back again. It was a little ticklish, but Koichi barely noticed it. The dog looked even more ferocious when it glared straight at them.

And he'd thought Kouji's dog was a little unnerving. He might as well be a puppy compared to this.

Even Takuya was silent, just breathing, waiting – and then the dog turned away and started blasting at the heater again. They sighed in relief. But then the little boy screamed and the girl dropped the pipe and screamed too and they realised all those deflecting blasts were doing more than going upwards.

Bits were deflecting to the side. And it looked like one had hit the girl's hands and made her drop the pipe. And another had hit the little boy's hat and knocked it off.

He clung to the pipeline with both hands. Takuya swore, then gritted his teeth. 'I'm going to get him.'

MarineAngemon wriggled his way down Koichi's right sleeve and poked his head out. 'Pu? Pu?'

'Well, I can't just leave him there!'

Koichi understood that. Really, he did. 'But if you go closer, won't he – ' _think you're an enemy and attack you?_

But Takuya had moved before he could finish talking. Again. And MarineAngeon emerged from his sleeve completely and gestured with its tiny arms. 'Pu! Pu!'

'Follow him?'

MarineAngemon nodded.

Koichi swallowed. 'All…all right.' But he was slower. More careful. More cautious. Not that it would actually accomplish anything, because the dog had three heads, but that was instinct talking. Not letting him run full speed in to danger.

Which let him duck when piping broke away from somewhere and came dangerously close to his head. 'Watch out!' he cried.

Inexact, but that got the other kids on guard. And gave them more to worry about. The girl screamed as something dropped close to her – or maybe it was because the boy shoved her out of the way. The little boy was in the biggest trouble though. That's why Takuya was climbing that same pipeline. Trying to reach him. That was why Koichi, though hesitant and behind, was following.

And then the heater burst and all of them were in trouble. Koichi covered his face, though he knew it wouldn't accomplish much. MarineAngemon jumped in front of him. 'Pu! Pu pu!'

Koichi lowered his hands. MarineAngemon had unleashed a mass of pink heart-shaped bubbles that was gathering around the broken heater, containing the explosion.

And it _did_ contain the explosion, evaporating as if they were water putting out a fire and leaving only a glowing, red thing behind.

The dog stepped forward, then stopped and turned. Takuya climbed further up the pipe, then stopped when he realised he was glowing too. Or, rather, the digivice he'd tucked in to his pocket was glowing.

He took it out. The dog snarled and leapt. The red glowing thing flew through the air and disappeared in to the digivice before anyone else could react.

And then Takuya really was glowing, and the dog was flying backwards as if struck. And Takuya was changing. Even though Koichi blinked – he daren't rub his eyes right then. Takuya was changing. Becoming taller. Sprouting armour. Growing golden hair.

The other children just stare in awe, then horror as the dog fires another green blast. But Takuya – or whatever Takuya had now become, simply punched at the air before it.

'Pyro Punch!'

And the green blast was struck by a fist of fire and extinguished.

'Pu,' MarineAngemon said.

No-one else had a comment. They simply watched the dog fly through the air again.

'Damn you,' the dog snarled. 'You – you're the warrior of flame.'

'I am,' Takuya – but it didn't _sound_ like Takuya anymore – replied. 'And you're about to be roasted.'

The glow changed. It was no longer light but _fire_. A man covered in fire, leaping towards his foe for the final blow. 'Fire Dash!'

The snarl turned in to a scream and Koichi looked away.

When he looked back, the little kid was off the pipe and on solid ground and Takuya was on his knees and panting, his digivice beside him.

The other two kids came closer too. The girl was still cradling her hand – which Koichi could now see was blistered. MarineAngemon saw it too. He flew to her and blew another of his heart-shaped bubbles.

They – the standing kids – blinked as the blister faded away.

'It's gone.' The girl rubbed her skin, then grinned. 'Thanks.'

'Pu,' MarineAngemon said in reply, floating back to Koichi.

The girl grinned at him too. 'Thanks,' she said again.

'I didn't do anything,' Koichi replied, truthfully.

The blister was gone, but they were still pretty shaken too. And though MarineAngemon had stopped an imminent explosion, the heater was smouldering ash and the rest of the metal infrastructure was scarred.

Takuya sat back on his heels, feeling for his digivice. 'That was…' He fished for the words. 'Something,' he finished.

'You beat that monster,' the little boy said. 'How?'

'This…' Takuya looked at his digivice. 'I felt something enter me, and then…'

'You were cool,' the boy breathed. There was still fright in his voice, but he was recovering.

'Scary,' the other boy muttered.

The girl stopped grinning and bit her lip. 'Everything was scary,' she confessed. 'We were just talking here, wondering if we could find another Trailmon to take us back home, and then that dog showed up.' She looked at the ashes. 'What – happened to it?'

Takuya picked up his digivice. A picture of the dog appeared on the screen, along with numbers – zeroes and ones – running over it. 'He's…in here.'

'_He will be restored, Warrior of Flame.'_

The little boy jumped. The rest of them just stared. The voice…it wasn't any of theirs, but coming from the digivice.

'You're – ' It was the girl this time. The one who'd had the pipe, who'd hurt her hand. 'You're the voice who called us here!'

Koichi didn't recognise the voice at all, but he guessed that meant she was the Ophanimon that Angemon had spoke of.

And her next words confirmed it. '_Yes. I am Ophanimon, one of the rulers of this world. And I ask for your help.'_


End file.
